This may sound kind of silly, but trust us—what you wear while you shop impacts what you'll look like after you've shopped. It's impossible to tell what a suit really looks like when you're trying it on over your "I Hate LeBron" T-shirt. Similarly, it's impossible to tell how well an overcoat fits unless you're trying it on over a sport jacket. Wear a jacket, a white shirt, and a pair of formal shoes. Your tailor will thank you.Rule 14:Square-toed shoes are just that

Perhaps you believe in always being prepared to kick a field goal no matter what the circumstances. In that case, opt for dress shoes with square toes. But assuming that you are not, in fact, Charlie Brown, the shoes that will last the longest and never go out of style should be a bit more rounded at the tip. Get the point?

Rule 15:Wear flip-flops only at home (okay—the beach, too)

What makes a man a man? He is strong. He is certain. He is prepared at any moment to meet a manly challenge with courage and fortitude. When a child wanders off the curb into traffic, when a date is hassled by a street tough, when a fire breaks out and someone needs rescuing, a man is there, fast and ready. He is not skipping cloppity-clop- clop down the street, squeezing his toes together so his flip-flops don't fall off.

Rule 16:Ties are for dressing up

Rule 17:A good suit can be dressed down

A suit's job is to make you look slimmer, fitter, stronger, and taller—that's the magic of the matching jacket and pants. If you have that going for you, who cares if you throw a casual shirt under the suit and pair it with some cool sneakers? Just avoid logos, numbers, ribbed tees, or anything you'd wear to bed.

Rule 18:Don't lace your wingtips like a sneaker

The crisscross lacing style you learned as a kid is fine for your canvas Chucks, not for a good pair of leather brogues. Try the more refined straight-bar lacing instead.

1 Thread the lace down through the pair of holes closest to the toe, making sure you have equal lengths of lace on each side.

2 Thread one end out through the next hole on the same side. Then string it across so it looks like a horizontal bar, and thread it in through the top of the opposite-side hole.

3 Lace it upward again, skipping one hole, and then pull the lace straight across. Continue this process, skipping one hole, all the way to the top.

4 Take the other end of the lace and repeat—thread it through the inside of the first free hole on the same side of the shoe. Continue all the way to the top.